Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3 screenwriter signs on for Star Wars

By THE NEW YORK TIMESPublished November 12, 2012 - 8:29am Last Updated November 12, 2012 - 8:39am

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Michael Arndt accepts the Oscar for best original screenplay for his work on Little Miss Sunshine at the 79th Academy Awards in 2007 in Los Angeles. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Luke Skywalker has a new screenwriter: Michael Arndt, the Oscar-winning scribe behind Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3.

Ever since Disney agreed to plunk down $4 billion for Lucasfilm last month and announced plans for a seventh Star Wars movie, entertainment bloggers and Hollywood trade reporters have been coming unhinged: Who will write it and who will direct it? We. Must. Know. Right. Now.

Lucasfilm and Disney — you can inject them with truth serum if you like, they still won’t give up the location of the rebel base — refused to provide any more details. But then Vulture, relying on anonymous sources, reported that Arndt, who is also working on a new Pixar movie and the script for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, had written a 40- to 50-page treatment for a new Star Wars.

Late Friday Lucasfilm confirmed the news, saying in a brief post on Starwars.com that Arndt will be the lone screenwriter for the next Star Wars installment, planned for release by Disney in 2015.

But who will direct it? We! Must! Know! Right! Now! (George Lucas, to the relief of many fans, given the last three “Star Wars” movies, will be as a consultant.) The studios were silent about a director, but the news media have been digging. Steven Spielberg told Access Hollywood that “no, no” he had no interest. Quentin Tarantino told Entertainment Weekly, “I could so care less.”